This presentation addresses an important, yet overlooked, topic - planning time. The session will present data from ECE teachers and directors about planning time, curriculum, and working environments that connect with state and national administrative core competencies. Presenters will provide a snapshot of the field regarding planning time practices related to curricula and supportive work environments while addressing the practical barriers that administrators face. We will assist in applying this information and take a practical approach so administrators can construct individual plans for how they will support their staff through planning time and environmental best practices. Get ready to share perspectives with other administrators as we create our next step blueprints pulling from the collective expertise of everyone in the session. This presentation represents the diverse experiences of EC professionals by elevating the voices of teachers and directors at a variety of program types and draws on recent literature on teacher well-being. The presentation will provide applicable and relevant information to assist directors in meeting professional core competencies that are feasible and support their staff.
This interactive session equips early childhood educators with the foundational knowledge of sensory processing in young children. Led by an occupational therapist with 27 years experience in pediatric field, the session explores how children experience the world through their senses. Participants will gain a practical understanding of sensory processing challenges and discover how to recognize signs in their classrooms.
Through engaging activities and real-life examples, educators will learn simple strategies to create supportive environments that cater to diverse sensory needs. The session will cover topics such as:
*The sensory system and its impact on learning *Identifying signs of sensory over- and under-stimulation *Adapting the classroom environment to promote sensory regulation *Easy-to-implement activities that cater to different sensory preferences
By the end of this session, educators will feel empowered to create classrooms where all children can thrive and learn comfortably.
Vickie Maertz holds a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy and has worked with children for the past 32 years. She is a Level 3 trainer with TCPEDS. Vickie likes to find creative and interactive ways to teach not only the updates to minimum standards but also about special needs children... Read More →
Thursday March 20, 2025 9:15am - 11:15am CDT
Legends VII
Do you have little learners who exhibit challenging behaviors? Using hands-on, interactive techniques, we will explore tools and materials to use in the classroom with children who need additional support. We will investigate tips, techniques, and materials to reach ALL children compassionately.
After years in public school kindergarten and higher education, I am currently a 4K Coach in SC. I am a long-time member and presenter for SECA and SCECA.
I am currently a First Steps 4K Coach after years of teaching Head Start, early intervention, and in a self-contained, cross categorical special needs preschool classroom in the public school system.
Thursday March 20, 2025 9:15am - 11:15am CDT
Legends I
Building value as a childcare business owner — for yourself and the children and families you serve — hinges on running a profitable school. As an owner, you must be financially healthy and thriving to provide excellent care and education. So, how can you ensure that you continue to deliver on your mission while building your bottom line?
Join Kathy Ligon, the early education industry’s go-to expert for financial know-how and business growth, to discover the five key components for financial health. Based on more than 30 years of analyzing successful early education organizations' financial practices, this session will break down what the average ?nancially healthy school looks like in numbers and how your company can mimic that success.
My mission in the ECE space is to support business owners in becoming as financially healthy as possible toward the purpose of supporting children, teachers, and families. We help owners exit their business and real estate when they are ready with a confidential, competitive process... Read More →
Join us as we share our attempts at minimizing the child care staffing crisis in our state, through two initiatives that are training high school students in early childhood education best practices. The University of Arkansas Fort Smith Early Childhood Education Program, in collaboration with the Arkansas Early Childhood Association, has piloted two models for offering college credit and early childhood credentials to secondary learners. After graduating from their local high schools, these students will have the training for providing the highest quality of care to children birth-five. Furthermore, they will be able to continue their education through the fully online Early Childhood Associate and Bachelor degrees, while employed in their local child development centers. We will have a time for brainstorming alternate solutions to the current staffing crisis, as we are all in this together!
Director of Early Childhood Education, University of Arkansas Fort Smith
DR. SHELLI HENEHAN is the Coordinator of Assessment and Professor for the School of Education at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith, where she is currently also serving as the Director of Early Childhood Education. Her doctoral degree is in Workforce Development, specializing in... Read More →
Thursday March 20, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT
Legends V
Early Childhood Education has survived the COVID era (barely), but that survival has been precarious. The urgent call for strategies to save, strengthen and build this profession has been heard for years. Find out what South Carolina is doing to build the profession in our state and identify strategies you can adopt to strengthen the profession in your state, as well as strengthen the professional within you!
4K Manager, Leadership Development, SC First Steps 4K
Kristine Jenkins has over 28 years of experience in the field of Early Childhood Education. Of these years, 17 years were spent as an owner/director of three childcare centers in Myrtle Beach, SC. The last 12 years have been with SC First Steps 4K program where she serves as a 4K... Read More →
Thursday March 20, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm CDT
Legends III
Running a program means doing 100 things in any given day. Managing all the tasks can be overwhelming. There are always at least 3 arenas of activities you need to manage. You are a ringmaster. You need a whip, some music and talented lion tamers to keep everything moving along & safe.
If you don’t, the monkeys will get loose & cause mayhem…making it impossible for you to get your work done. Join this session to identify your monkeys, tiger time, lion tamers & soundtrack.
